Essential Health Benefits Protect Consumers

Maintaining Essential Health Benefit (EHB) requirements is a reflection of the principle that, as a nation and for the public good, we are all in it together—ensuring a baseline of medical and financial security for Americans.

Prior to the ACA, it was a struggle for many consumers to purchase a health insurance policy that provided comprehensive coverage for the care they needed. Insurance products available on the individual and small group markets frequently fell short of and paled in comparison to insurance offered to employees of large companies. The ACA sought to level the playing field by requiring plans to cover ten categories of Essential Health Benefits (EHBs), equal to those in a typical employer plan.

The EHB categories represent a commitment to making healthcare accessible and affordable for all consumers. Any actions that reverse that commitment will harm consumers, as it would mark the return of junk insurance to the market. Consumers could find themselves unable to afford insurance that covers the care they know they need, and underinsured for care they did not realize they would need.

Maintaining EHB requirements is a reflection of the principle that, as a nation and for the public good, we are all in it together—ensuring a baseline of medical and financial security for Americans.